Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

ḤāfiẓandthePersianSufiTradition 165

If we compare the lengths that ‘Aṭṭār goes to in denunciation of fault-
finding with the constant allusions made by Ḥāfiẓ to refraining from
cavillingandcarpingaboutotherpeople’sfaults,coupledwithhisindictment
of the Shaykh, the Ascetic, the Sufi, and the other sanctimonious, pseudo-
religious formalists as being uninformed of the world of love and
drunkennessduetotheircensoriousnature,itisimpossibletodenytheinflu-
ence of ‘Aṭṭār on Ḥāfiẓ. ‘Aṭṭār relates a tale about a dear spiritual adept
who would continually say: ‘For seventy years now all I feel is delight and
rapture in knowing that a God exists of such stunning beauty, willing to
allow a poor devotee such as myself intimacy and closeness to Him.’ In the
moral that ‘Aṭṭār draws from this tale, he rhetorically asks: ‘How will
anyone preoccupied with criticizing others’ faults ever find delight in divine
love?’

Youseekforfaultstocensureandsuppress

Andhavenotimeforinwardhappiness–

HowcanyouknowGod’ssecretmajesty

Ifyoulookoutforsinincessantly?

ToshareHishiddengloryyoumustlearn

Thatothers’errorsarenotyourconcern–

Whensomeoneelse’sfailingsaredefined

Whathairsyousplit–buttoyourownyou’reblind!^44

In another story told by ‘Aṭṭār, a drunkard finds fault with the conduct of
anotherdrunk,counsellinghimtodrinkfewerglassesofwine,sothat‘youwill
be able to walk in a straight line like me without following anyone else’. The
firstdrunkard,meanwhile,isunawarethathehimselfisblinddrunkandbeing
carriedinasackonthebackofhismate.Fromthetale,‘Aṭṭārdrawsthemoral
that this type of cavilling arises from not being a lover, for the lover always
seesalltheBeloved’sblemishesasindicativeofherbeautyandvirtue:^45

Youcannotlove,andthisiswhyyouseek

Tofindmenvicious,ordepraved,orweak–

Ifyoucouldsearchforloveandpersevere

Thesinsofothermenwoulddisappear.^46

Such fault-finding, castigation and harassment of others, done in order to
secretly demonstrate one’s own virtue and godliness, was a common practice
among the false dissemblers of thesharī‘a-oriented piety in Ḥāfiẓ’s day and
age. But in the Canon Law (sharī‘a) of Ḥāfiẓ and his Magian Master, the only
realsinconsistsintheupbraidingothersforfaults,harassingorcausingthem
annoyance.^47 AsḤāfiẓsays: